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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 · kid · stick · pass · cabinet · pound

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — a permit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. patient — a sick person

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