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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: can · staff · patient · coach · race · hide · pitcher · lie

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — to recline
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — to be able to

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