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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: craft · rush · cell · racket · ground · capital · band · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. capital — money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a skill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. craft — boats
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. band — a music group
  24. ground — the earth

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