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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.

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: patient · bass · arm · capital · squash · pitcher · bank · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. bank — for money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — money
  14. bass — low music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the vegetable

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