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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 120 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: mouse · pitcher · patient · fall · coach · wake · object · game

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — an aim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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