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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
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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: cabinet · march · can · mug · squash · patient · stock · coach

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — a tin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  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