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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · arm · coach · scale · spring · fan · chip · mine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. scale — in music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — a practice
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spring — of water

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