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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 116 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: bank · wind · spring · patient · rush · ground · plane · coach

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bank — for money
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — crushed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — of a river
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — of water
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spring — the season
  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