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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: patient · land · trunk · fan · key · spring · stick · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. key — in music
  16. land — ground
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spring — of water

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