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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · band · straw · coach · mouse · mine · chest · suit

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. band — a ring
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — a box
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a music group
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. band — a rubber band

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