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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 116 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
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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: spring · hide · patient · coach · rest · row · saw · hand

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — the tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rest — a break
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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