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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: kid · cap · arm · stick · coach · bass · patient · fan

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — child
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a lid

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