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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: bass · staff · bear · fall · patient · date · pop · capital

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pop — soda
  3. fall — the season
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pop — to visit
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — employees
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — money
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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