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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 · kick · tear · can · court · press · pass · lash

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. press — newspapers
  3. can — to be able to
  4. press — to push
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of a king
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kick — in football
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tear — to rip

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