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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · capital · firm · fan · jam · root · rock · staff

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — a stick
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — a city
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. root — the cause
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. firm — decided
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — a company
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — steady

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