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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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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 · wind · pass · bat · bear · race · sharp · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pass — a permit
  19. race — the arms race
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. race — humankind
  24. bat — the animal

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