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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: patient · wake · coach · drill · content · fan · object · straw

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — army training
  8. object — to protest
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — an aim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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