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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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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: toast · clip · patient · net · tear · stick · pass · rest

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — for catching
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. net — after costs
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. toast — bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — to rip
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rest — a break
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. clip — to cut
  24. patient — a sick person

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