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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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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 · bore · band · capital · root · wave · cold · safe

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — not warm
  5. capital — money
  6. root — of a plant
  7. capital — a city
  8. cold — an illness
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to drill
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. root — the cause
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. root — of a word
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. band — a music group

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