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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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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: bat · coach · patient · nail · rush · rock · squash · pitcher

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — the animal

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