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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: staff · last · game · mug · patient · saw · fall · coach

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — to go on
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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