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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 · fall · row · land · patient · capital · wax · arm

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — ground
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — the season
  15. wax — to grow
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — a cup
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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