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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — a break
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — what's left
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — happening now
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — for money
  23. current — of water
  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