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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: patient · bear · tear · pass · fan · craft · bank · file

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bank — of a river
  7. craft — a skill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — 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