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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 · fork · pass · spring · saw · fine · hand · current

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — of water
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. capital — money
  22. hand — help
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. 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