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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: capital · hand · arm · pit · bore · patient · date · root

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. root — the cause
  7. capital — money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. root — of a word
  10. date — the fruit
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bore — to tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — to drill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — help

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