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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. can — to be able to
  14. sharp — clever
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. bank — for money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rash — hasty

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