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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: cell · mug · drill · chest · plane · bulb · coach · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chest — a box
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — a face
  12. drill — a practice
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. plane — a tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. drill — army training
  24. plane — an aircraft

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