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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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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: patient · mate · last · ball · lean · coach · net · spring

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lean — thin
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to bend
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spring — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — final

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