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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: track · patient · tear · capital · fork · lie · ball · lash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — a song
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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