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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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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: land · patient · pass · coach · lean · chest · bass · wake

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — to come down
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — a box
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. land — a country
  20. lean — thin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lean — to bend

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