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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: pit · deal · patient · bore · capital · fork · band · chair

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. 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. band — a music group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a ring
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — in a road
  19. capital — a city
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. 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