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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
468
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: land · patient · lash · capital · trunk · vault · leaves · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. capital — money
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. land — ground
  17. capital — a city
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — a country
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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