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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: patient · capital · lash · rush · cap · hide · kid · date

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cap — of ice
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — a city
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — an eyelash

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