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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: club · wind · patient · pit · coach · fork

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for golf
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — a group
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key

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