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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 · coach · mouse · rule · swing · patient · file · can

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — to be able to
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — to tease
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — government
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kid — child
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. can — a tin

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