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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: pop · pass · bark · swing · hand · leaves · tube · patient

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — help
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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