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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: coach · hand · patient · branch · bowl · game · arm · pop

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. game — a kind of play

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