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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · nail · sharp · tear · patient · date · lash · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — a video
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — to rip
  13. clip — to cut
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. clip — for paper
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — to lash out

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