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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 116 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: patient · wave · cap · plane · clip · last · land · stand

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. clip — a video
  7. last — final
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. last — finally
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. plane — an aircraft

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