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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: cap · staff · mate · patient · suit · clip · safe · land

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — to breed
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — a country
  7. suit — to fit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cap — a hat
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cap — of ice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. land — ground
  17. cap — a lid
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mate — a partner
  23. clip — a video
  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