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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. current — happening now
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mug — a face
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. capital — money
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. current — of water
  19. bark — to shout
  20. current — electric
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cap — a lid
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a big letter

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