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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: patient · nail · ground · bank · drill · fan · mine · coach

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. drill — army training
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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