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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: wind · nail · patient · coach · kid · rush · arm · file

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — child
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. file — a document
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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