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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: capital · patient · fan · face · stock · vault · charge · spring

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. vault — a safe
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — in control
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stock — shares
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — to point toward
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. charge — a price
  22. stock — goods
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fan — to cool the air

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