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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: bowl · patient · vault · kid · mine · coach · rush · pass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. vault — a safe
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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