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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: tube · file · firm · capital · tear · kick · field · patient

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — to rip
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. tear — from crying
  7. firm — decided
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a document
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. kick — in football
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — a company
  21. field — a subject
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. tube — the underground

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