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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · file · kid · charge · last · pop · capital

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a city
  3. kid — child
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — finally
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a document
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. charge — a price
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — money
  18. kid — to tease
  19. last — final
  20. file — a tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. file — a line of people

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