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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: coach · drill · bulb · stick · bore · field · mug · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. field — a subject
  5. mug — a face
  6. field — farmland
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to drill
  15. drill — army training
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bore — gave birth
  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