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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: staff · patient · wind · capital · land · root · stand · racket

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — the cause
  12. staff — a stick
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — of a word
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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