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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 · coach · rash · mine · toast · track · prune · nail

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. toast — bread
  13. rash — a series
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mine — for digging
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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