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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — of the year
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. season — in sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. tear — from crying

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