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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: pitcher · drill · patient · track · hand · spell · lash · capital

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. track — a path
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — a song
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — in cards
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. spell — magic
  22. capital — a city
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. drill — a practice

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