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

Word bank: patient · stem · wound · safe · ruler · capital

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — to come from
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — a stem cell
  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