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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: land · lean · game · bore · rash · mug · net · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. bore — to drill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rash — a series
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — after costs
  12. lean — thin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — a face
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. land — to come down
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — ground
  24. mug — to rob

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