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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: cold · coach · bulb · toast · fan · patient · hand · firm

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — decided
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hand — help
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — an illness
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cold — the Cold War

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