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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: mate · bay · patient · hand · drill · coach

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — to breed
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mate — a friend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — help
  18. bay — a horse colour

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