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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: can · capital · mug · patient · straw · root · field · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a city
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — money
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — of a word
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — a face
  15. can — a tin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — to be able to
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — the cause
  24. field — farmland

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