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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
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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 · patient · fine · rock · pound · tear · mug · season

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — a face
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mug — to rob
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — of the year
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mug — a cup
  24. 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