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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 116 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: land · track · bound · hide · snap · chip · capital · patient

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. track — to keep track
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. capital — a city
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. land — ground
  14. track — a path
  15. snap — to click
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. track — a song
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — for betting
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — obliged

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