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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.

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: mine · land · arm · chip · perch · bore · fall · coach

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — to drill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — a country
  18. fall — to drop
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. land — to come down
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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