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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
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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: rest · capital · plane · last · patient · bore · spring · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spring — a coil
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spring — the season
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — to go on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. march — the month
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rest — a break
  22. bore — to drill
  23. march — music
  24. plane — an aircraft

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