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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: coach · tube · bear · last · march · squash · bore · rule

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — final
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — to go on
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — music
  18. rule — a law
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — a container
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — finally
  24. bear — the animal

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