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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 120 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: mine · bound · tube · coach · patient · pitcher · foot · drill

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — certain
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — a measure
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — tied together
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tube — a container

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