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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: hand · drill · trunk · patient · safe · capital · racket · object

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. drill — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. capital — money
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — a practice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. drill — army training
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. object — to protest
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. safe — out of danger

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