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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: toast · wax · stick · mine · coach · pitch · patient · cabinet

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — bread

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