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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 · pass · march · present · hide · tear · game · racket

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. present — a gift
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. present — there
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — the time now
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — a permit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  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