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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: lean · pitcher · track · patient · board · capital · prune · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chair — a leader
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — to get on
  17. track — a path
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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