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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: date · land · court · wave · lash · pass · foot · patient

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. land — a country
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — a permit
  13. land — to come down
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pass — to succeed

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