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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: coach · club · land · patient · wake · sharp · date · bore

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for dancing
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wake — a trail
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. land — to come down
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — a country
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to tire
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bore — to drill
  22. club — a group
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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