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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: suit · mug · content · wake · spring · patient · capital · trunk

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. capital — a city
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spring — of water
  7. suit — in cards
  8. capital — money
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a face
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mug — a cup
  24. trunk — of a car

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