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

Word bank: patient · coach · race · cabinet · tear · root

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a plant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. root — the cause
  15. race — a contest
  16. root — of a word
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — humankind

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