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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.

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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: patient · bowl · sharp · coach · squash · season · band · spell

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — the sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. band — a music group
  14. sharp — clever
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. band — a rubber band

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