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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: shower · stand · face · rock · chest · pitcher · coach · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chest — a box
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stand — to bear
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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