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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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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: bore · wind · patient · stick · safe · capital

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — money

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