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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · jam · staff · pass · field · patient · present · firm

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — to cut
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — a stick
  10. firm — steady
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. present — there
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. field — for sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. present — the time now
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. present — a gift

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