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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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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: safe · cap · clip · present · pass · patient · date · spell

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. clip — to cut
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. present — there
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pass — a permit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — the time now
  14. spell — magic
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — letters
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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