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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: land · capital · patient · key · chest · tear · cue · bulb

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — to rip
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. land — ground
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cue — a hint
  18. capital — a city
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — to come down
  22. cue — a signal
  23. tear — from crying
  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