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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: drill · tube · row · pop · ground · board · pass · coach

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. drill — a practice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. drill — the tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a line
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tube — a container
  24. ground — a position

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