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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 116 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: club · mouse · coach · hand · dip · patient · cold · rash

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rash — a series
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. club — a group
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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