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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 120 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: lash · fan · pass · last · tear · bound · patient · capital

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. capital — a city
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — certain
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — final
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — money
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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