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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: tear · hand · clip · swing · safe · rush · staff · patient

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — help
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. clip — a video
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hand — in cards
  18. swing — in golf
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — to cut
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — for paper
  24. staff — employees

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