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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: snap · file · spring · capital · mark · stick · patient · saw

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — of water
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. file — a document
  9. capital — money
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a trace
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — a coil
  15. capital — a city
  16. spring — the season
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — a grade
  20. file — a line of people
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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