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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: coach · tear · rock · patient · wind · drill

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tear — from crying
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rock — a stone

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