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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: key · spell · coach · file · patient · perch · band · chest

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — the fish
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. band — a ring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chest — a box
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a tool

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