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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · content · wake · shower · stock · capital · patient · root

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — rain
  4. wake — a trail
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — the amount
  7. capital — a city
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — goods
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — shares
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a friend

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