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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · net · craft · patient · ruler · bark

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — money
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. capital — a city
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. craft — boats
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. craft — a skill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a handicraft

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