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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: coach · stem · patient · tube · sharp · vault · straw · rash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. vault — a safe
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — to come from
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — a container
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. patient — a sick person

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