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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.

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: coach · mouse · fall · chest · bear · patient · rash · game

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — a match
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bear — to put up with

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