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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: net · bore · temple · bowl · lean · coach · file · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — ground
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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