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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · cabinet · net · mug · current · patient · band

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a face
  3. can — a tin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. current — electric
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — of water
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. band — a music group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a ring
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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