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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: mug · mine · current · calf · wax · capital · patient · deal

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. deal — to handle
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mine — for digging
  15. capital — a city
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mug — a cup
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mug — to rob
  24. current — electric

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