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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: pass · cold · can · chest · mug · land · patient · wake

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — a face
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — a box
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. mug — a cup

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