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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: bore · coach · kid · patient · fork · squash · mine · face

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kid — child
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bore — to drill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to confront
  18. mine — for digging
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — part of the head
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — a garden tool

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