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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: present · capital · racket · ground · patient · rock · wind · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. present — the time now
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rock — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — a position
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rock — a stone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. capital — money
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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