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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: game · saw · stock · coach · wake · toast · patient · mine

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. saw — the tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. toast — bread
  20. game — a match
  21. saw — the tool
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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