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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: chest · content · pass · patient · stand · land · wave · fan

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — a box
  13. stand — to bear
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — ground
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — a country
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — to come down

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