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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 116 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: deal · can · mine · fine · patient · mate · row · pass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — to handle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. row — to paddle
  19. can — a tin
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mate — a friend

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