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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: rock · capital · jam · patient · ball · hand · bulb · board

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. board — a committee
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. board — to get on
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. ball — a great time
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rock — music
  24. bulb — for light

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