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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: land · band · coach · mouse · can · patient · lie · saw

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. band — a ring
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. land — a country
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. can — to be able to

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