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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 · face · game · rush · bound · coach · rash · saw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. face — to confront
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — to point toward
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. patient — a sick person

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