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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: can · sharp · last · bulb · deal · patient · calf · capital

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — to go on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — money
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — to be able to

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