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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: pass · net · last · bound · cap · patient · spell · row

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. net — after costs
  6. spell — magic
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cap — a hat
  15. row — a line
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — for catching
  18. last — finally
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cap — a lid
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — obliged
  24. net — in sport

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