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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: arm · capital · cap · bat · squash · bore · patient · nail

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. capital — a city
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — to tire
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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