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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: ruler · ground · ball · stem · capital · patient · staff · board

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stem — to come from
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ground — a position
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. staff — a stick
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — to get on
  24. stem — of a plant

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