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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: mark · fall · rash · chest · patient · capital · present · lean

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fall — the season
  3. lean — to bend
  4. capital — a city
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. present — a gift
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — to drop
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — a series
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — there
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. present — the time now

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