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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: pound · patient · band · net · lean · court · pass · sharp

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — in sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — of law
  13. lean — to bend
  14. court — of a king
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — a permit
  17. band — a music group
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — for catching
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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