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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: capital · hide · mark · patient · spring · mug · rash · kid

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rash — hasty
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — a grade
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — to rob

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