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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: last · patient · kid · face · rush · bound · coach · cabinet

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — final
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — to point toward
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — obliged
  21. last — to go on
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. last — finally
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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