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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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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: plane · saw · tear · pop · patient · perch · pass · stick

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — soda
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pass — a permit

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