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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.

Make a worksheet

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: capital · file · plane · stem · clip · patient · ball · pass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — a video
  10. capital — a city
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pass — a permit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — for paper
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a document

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