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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: patient · deal · wave · craft · cold · cabinet · game · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — wild animals
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — not warm
  19. craft — a skill
  20. game — a match
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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