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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: swing · current · coach · stick · patient · mug · mine · track

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. track — a song
  4. current — happening now
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mine — for digging
  9. swing — music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — electric
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — to play on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — of water
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mug — to rob
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — a trainer

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