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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: cap · charge · pass · tear · roll · patient · last · band

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. roll — a list
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pass — a permit
  8. last — final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. band — a music group
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a hat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cap — of ice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. roll — a cake
  22. last — to go on
  23. band — a ring
  24. charge — in control

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