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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: spell · patient · fall · ground · coach · mug · capital · deal

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — a cup
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spell — letters
  24. coach — a trainer

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