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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: spring · patient · bound · face · pitch · drill · coach · row

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. spring — the season
  4. face — to confront
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. face — to point toward
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — certain
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. drill — a practice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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