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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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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: staff · mug · capital · cold · deal · band · patient · fall

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — a stick
  3. deal — to handle
  4. capital — a city
  5. staff — employees
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mug — to rob
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — money
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. band — a music group
  12. fall — the season
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a ring
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mug — a cup
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a face
  24. cold — an illness

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