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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a document
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fine — all right
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — for digging
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — to crush

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