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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 120 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: hand · arm · ground · patient · capital · wind · bulb · key

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — money
  6. key — in music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. key — the most important part
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — for a lock
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — a city
  24. bulb — of a plant

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