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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: mine · charge · ground · drill · plane · track · coach · clip

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — army training
  5. ground — crushed
  6. drill — a practice
  7. charge — a price
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a song
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — to cut
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mine — for digging
  20. clip — a video
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — belonging to me

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