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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · bat · tube · coach · patient · drill · prune · wound

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — in an idiom

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