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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 120 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: lash · cabinet · press · sharp · hand · capital · bound · patient

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — certain
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. capital — a city
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — tied together
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. press — newspapers

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