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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: ground · coach · row · drill · foot · wave · racket · mouse

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. row — to paddle
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. coach — a trainer

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