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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: patient · spring · wave · racket · coach · hand · mate · swing

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — the season
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mate — a friend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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