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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 120 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: current · mark · game · snap · bowl · coach · bound · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — of water
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to click
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. game — a match
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. current — electric
  24. bowl — to roll

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