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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 120 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: stand · capital · kid · mark · patient · trunk · charge · arm

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. charge — in control
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a city
  17. stand — to bear
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a grade
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — a trace
  23. charge — electricity
  24. trunk — of a tree

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