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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — a city
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — money

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