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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: pit · patient · lash · net · capital · bark · stem · wound

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — money
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — to shout
  24. net — after costs

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