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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: wake · can · face · patient · capital · hide · spell · snap

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. face — to point toward
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to click
  23. can — a tin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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