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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: mine · patient · stick · pit · bank · coach · file · wake

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — in a race
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. coach — a trainer

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