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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: foot · drill · degree · pitcher · wave · coach · branch · game

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — an amount
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. foot — part of the body

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