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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 116 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: rush · staff · patient · bark · fan · pass · kid · capital

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — a city
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bark — to shout
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. staff — employees
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kid — child

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