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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: patient · toast · racket · capital · wind · jam

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. toast — bread
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. capital — a city
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. racket — a loud noise

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