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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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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: deal · bark · club · swing · safe · capital · patient · perch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. deal — to handle
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — money
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. club — a group
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. club — for dancing
  23. capital — a big letter
  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