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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: pass · degree · patient · saw · fan · coach · march · bound

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — obliged
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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