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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 · hide · club · straw · bulb · march · patient · hand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. club — for golf
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. club — a group
  13. march — music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — in cards

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