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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 · press · mate · drill · rule · track · plane

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. press — newspapers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rule — government
  6. press — to push
  7. mate — to breed
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — a partner
  11. press — a publisher
  12. track — a path
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a song
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. drill — a practice
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. plane — an aircraft

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