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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
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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 · bulb · capital · pitcher · current · land · mine · vault

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. capital — a city
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. current — of water
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — money
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. current — electric
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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