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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: track · coach · drill · trunk · snap · vault · land · lash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — a country
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — army training

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