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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 116 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: patient · spring · mark · coach · calf · hide · file · swing

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spring — the season
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — to play on
  17. file — a document
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — a trace

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