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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: last · jam · capital · calf · stock · mine · coach · patient

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — final
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — finally
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — for digging
  24. jam — in traffic

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