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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.

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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: row · march · patient · wound · court · fan · pass · dip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. march — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of law
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. court — for sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a line
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. row — a quarrel

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