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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 116 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: row · plane · calf · capital · deal · clip · mark · patient

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. capital — money
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a city
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mark — a trace
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a line
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  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