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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — part of the head
  4. march — the month
  5. present — a gift
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. face — to point toward
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. march — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. bass — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. present — there
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — steady

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