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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 · pit · patient · craft · stock · press

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. press — newspapers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. capital — money
  11. press — a publisher
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a city

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