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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: perch · coach · sharp · track · file · plane · craft · patient

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. track — to keep track
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — a path
  8. craft — boats
  9. perch — the fish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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