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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: drill · track · coach · chip · hand · nail · squash · tear

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — army training
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — from crying
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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