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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: leaves · rush · ball · patient · capital · wake · bulb · last

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — final
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rush — hurry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. wake — a trail
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. leaves — to go away

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