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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: can · spell · capital · sharp · trunk · patient · suit · hand

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — a tin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — clever
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — in cards
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. suit — to fit

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