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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: cold · patient · capital · safe · can · stem · firm · race

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stem — to come from
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. firm — decided
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. race — the arms race
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — a city
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — not warm
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — steady
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — a contest

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