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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 116 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: capital · mouse · patient · club · content · field · rash · cell

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. field — farmland
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. club — for golf
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — in a prison

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