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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: staff · jam · patient · pitcher · bass · safe · pop · clip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bass — low music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. staff — employees
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. clip — a video
  21. pop — soda
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — music

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