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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: root · pound · patient · coach · wake · object · jam · mine

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. root — of a word
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — a thing
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. object — an aim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. object — to protest
  19. mine — for digging
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — belonging to me

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