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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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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: patient · cabinet · deal · tear · band · rest · capital · cell

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — to rip
  8. band — a music group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. band — a ring
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — a phone
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — a city

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