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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: ground · capital · band · ball · patient · mouse · bowl · cue

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ground — a position
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a music group
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. capital — money
  24. cue — a signal

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