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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · last · chip · drill · spell · bulb · fine · root

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — magic
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. root — of a word
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — final
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com