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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · spell · can · drill · nail · land · coach · stem

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — magic
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. land — ground
  17. stem — to come from
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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