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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: craft · toast · coach · file · drill · rash · plane · rest

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. file — a document
  9. rest — what's left
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — hasty
  15. toast — bread
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — a series
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — army training
  24. craft — a skill

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