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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a city
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. roll — a list
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. band — a music group
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. band — a ring
  14. mug — a face
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stand — to bear
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. capital — money
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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