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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 · band · deal · lean · net · coach · fork · pass

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. band — a music group
  20. pass — a permit
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fork — to eat with

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