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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: date · pitcher · capital · pitch · patient · craft · wound · plane

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. capital — money
  14. craft — boats
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — a skill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — the fruit
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — a handicraft

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