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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: leaves · pound · clip · foot · chest · capital · patient · fan

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chest — a box
  18. capital — a city
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. clip — to cut
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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