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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 120 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: foot · patient · land · vault · scale · capital · bay · wind

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. land — a country
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. capital — money
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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