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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: safe · march · pass · rest · patient · cold · land · staff

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — a permit
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — an illness
  12. land — a country
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. staff — a stick
  17. land — ground
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  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