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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: fork · tear · pass · lash · rash · patient · rock · field

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pass — a permit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to succeed

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