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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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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — in cards
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. track — a song

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