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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: hand · coach · mate · cell · perch · patient · key · board

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a friend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. perch — the fish
  14. key — the most important part
  15. board — to get on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — a sick person

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