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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: kid · leaves · patient · suit · wake · rush · capital · spring

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — hurry
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kid — child
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. suit — clothes
  21. kid — to tease
  22. suit — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a big letter

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