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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 · swing · rock · bank · drill · race · capital · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — humankind
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — money
  13. rock — a stone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rock — music
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — a city
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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