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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
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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: spell · coach · staff · march · bore · shower · straw · plane

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bore — to drill
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bore — to tire
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — to wash
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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