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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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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: rock · content · lash · patient · capital · present · wake · bowl

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. present — there
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rock — a stone
  7. present — a gift
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. capital — a city
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wake — a trail
  13. present — the time now
  14. content — the amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. content — happy

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