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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: bore · deal · racket · mine · root · patient · capital · pass

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. root — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pass — a permit
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. root — of a word
  24. racket — for tennis

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