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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: mug · can · bear · prune · land · capital · current · patient

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — ground
  6. can — to be able to
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. current — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — money
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — a face

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