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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · file · row · rock · patient · bowl · field

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. row — a line
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. file — a tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — money
  22. press — to push
  23. rock — music
  24. row — to paddle

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