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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: coach · mine · tube · ground · row · pound · hand · cue

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cue — for pool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — the underground

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