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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: drill · bear · squash · bore · hide · trunk · coach · race

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bore — to tire
  3. race — humankind
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bore — to drill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. drill — army training
  20. race — a contest
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. squash — the sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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