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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: patient · wound · staff · band · land · rush · coach · pass

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — to come down
  8. staff — employees
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — ground
  12. band — a ring
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. land — a country

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