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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
468
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: cabinet · field · file · coach · perch · roll · fork · patient

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. field — farmland
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — a subject
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a document
  20. fork — in a road
  21. roll — a list
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cabinet — ministers

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