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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 124 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: nail · coach · lash · bear · tube · roll · mine · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — a country
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bear — the animal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — a container
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. roll — a list
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. land — ground

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