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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. lean — thin
  5. band — a ring
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — an aim
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — to protest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. object — a thing
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. patient — a sick person

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