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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · press · kid · craft · racket · mug · patient · object

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — child
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mug — a cup
  9. object — a thing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — a city
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — to rob
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. press — newspapers

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