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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bound — certain
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bank — of a river
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bank — for money

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