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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 120 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 · race · patient · spring · wave · season · present · club

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — humankind
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. present — the time now
  6. season — in sport
  7. club — a group
  8. spring — a coil
  9. race — a contest
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — there
  13. spring — the season
  14. race — the arms race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. present — a gift
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for dancing
  24. season — of the year

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