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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · mate · patient · march · clip · fine · hand · pass

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fine — all right
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mate — to breed
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. clip — a video
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hand — part of the body

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