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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: mug · spring · game · patient · racket · coach · lie · rash

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — a face
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — a series
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — a coil

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