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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: chest · leaves · capital · patient · cap · fall · cabinet · press

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fall — the season
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — to push
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — a hat
  20. capital — a city
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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