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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.

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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: pitcher · last · degree · pound · fan · coach · straw · patient

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — final
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — a trainer
  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