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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 · bass · straw · object · rash · patient · capital · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rash — a series
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — hasty
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — a thing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. capital — a city
  17. object — to protest
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bass — the fish
  21. object — an aim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — a face

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