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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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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: drill · perch · tear · board · squash · coach · root · cue

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — a committee
  5. drill — army training
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. root — the cause
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — a practice
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — the tool

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