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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: bear · board · patient · cap · capital · pitcher

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. 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. cap — of ice
  2. board — a committee
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a city
  13. board — to get on
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. 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