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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: bank · track · lash · kid · wake · coach · patient · march

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — of a river
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — a path
  7. march — music
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — for money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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