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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · foot · tear · row · lie · patient

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lie — to recline
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. row — to paddle
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tear — to rip
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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