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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 · capital · mate · safe · board · wound · chair · field

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a partner
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mate — to breed
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a committee
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. capital — a city
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. board — to get on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a big letter

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