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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · hand · leaves · mug · pass · tear · chair · patient

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hand — help
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — a permit
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — to sink

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