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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: jam · band · net · date · patient · fall · capital · leaves

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — after costs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a music group
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. capital — a city
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a ring
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. date — the fruit

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