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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: cold · fan · patient · coach · kid · perch · rash · cue

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cue — a signal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cue — a hint
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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