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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bay · patient · mine · fork · coach · current · scale · prune

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. mine — for digging

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