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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: straw · coach · leaves · kid · wound · patient · bore · lean

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to bend

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