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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 · toast · clip · ground · row · patient · march · safe

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. march — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. toast — bread
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — to cut
  22. row — a line
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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