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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: band · coach · degree · mark · hand · chair · patient · mug

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — a cup
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — help
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mug — a face
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mark — a trace
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — an amount

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