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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stem · snap · capital · leaves · pitcher · bear · patient · sharp

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. sharp — clever
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to click
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. patient — a sick person

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