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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: rest · staff · current · coach · fan · date · patient · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — the fruit
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — what's left
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — a break
  13. current — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. current — happening now
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — crushed

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