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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
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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: row · coach · pop · present · cabinet · land · rock · patient

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. present — there
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. present — a gift
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rock — music
  14. present — the time now
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rock — a stone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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