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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 · coach · cell · root · mouse · hide · ball · wound

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — the cause
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — of a word
  24. wound — an injury

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