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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: capital · track · season · craft · patient · mine · rash · snap

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. track — a path
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a city
  5. mine — for digging
  6. craft — boats
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — to keep track
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. track — a song
  16. season — of the year
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. season — in sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. capital — money
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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