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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: mug · prune · patient · present · capital · sharp · perch · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mug — a cup
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mug — to rob
  18. present — there
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. capital — money
  22. present — the time now
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. present — a gift

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