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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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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 · bay · hand · mark · staff · land · coach · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — help
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — to get on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — to come down
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — ground
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. staff — a stick

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