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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: band · bat · file · patient · coach · bear · roll · hide

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. roll — a list
  8. band — a ring
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bear — the animal

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