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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.

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 · patient · staff · craft · rest · bound · mate · tube

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — obliged
  6. staff — a stick
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — a container
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — what's left
  15. craft — boats
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — a break
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. craft — a skill
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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