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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 120 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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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: hide · cell · patient · net · track · file · capital · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a document
  7. net — for catching
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — a phone
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — to sink
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — in biology

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