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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 116 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 · clip · tube · cell · last · march · firm · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — for paper
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — a video
  19. march — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — in biology
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — steady

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