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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: saw · squash · bay · patient · leaves · season · coach · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hand — help
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — the tool

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