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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: rush · staff · clip · stem · rule · fan · content · patient

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — the amount
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — happy
  7. stem — to come from
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — government
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. staff — employees
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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