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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: staff · wound · court · wake · leaves · capital · patient · deal

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. court — of law
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — employees
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. deal — an agreement

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