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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.

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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 · drill · fan · stock · tear · craft · bark · swing

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — to play on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. drill — army training
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — to shout
  20. craft — boats
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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