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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: rest · staff · cold · lean · deal · patient · coach · wake

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. staff — a stick
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cold — not warm
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — thin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. staff — employees
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — a break
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — a big deal

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