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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: fall · capital · mark · calf · kid · patient · pop · staff

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — the season
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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