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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: patient · bear · season · bulb · pitcher · chair · capital · spell

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. chair — a leader
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — magic
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spell — letters
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — a short time

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