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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 116 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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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 · fall · wave · hand · pass · coach · pound · patient

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — help
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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