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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 116 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: sharp · capital · patient · club · bowl · wake · press · fork

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — in a road
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — a group
  6. wake — a trail
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. club — for golf
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. club — for dancing
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. press — to push
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — money
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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