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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: court · ground · coach · tube · bore · band · stock · chip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — a container
  8. bore — to tire
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — shares
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. court — of law
  14. chip — for betting
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — the underground
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — a position
  20. chip — to eat
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — crushed
  24. coach — a trainer

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