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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: kid · capital · spell · tube · patient · rash · bore · march

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spell — magic
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kid — to tease
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. kid — child
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — the month

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