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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: patient · arm · cabinet · club · hide · capital · firm · present

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. capital — a city
  2. firm — steady
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. present — there
  5. capital — money
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. firm — decided
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. firm — a company
  14. present — a gift
  15. club — a group
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. club — for golf
  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