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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: bore · bank · jam · cue · rule · field · patient · clip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — a video
  7. cue — a signal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bore — to tire
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. cue — a hint
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — for money
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rule — a law
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bank — for money
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. clip — for paper

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