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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 116 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
468
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 · spring · bore · cell · coach · hide · clip · chair

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to drill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chair — a leader
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — the season
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — army training
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cell — in biology
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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