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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: bass · pass · wave · clip · jam · patient · rule · spring

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spring — the season
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rule — a law
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — government
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pass — a permit
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bass — the fish
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. clip — a video

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