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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: patient · date · pitch · mine · mark · land · lean · rash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mark — a grade
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rash — hasty
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — to come down
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — ground
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — a series

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