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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.

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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: sharp · capital · fan · rash · coach · press · tear · bore

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — a series
  17. press — newspapers
  18. capital — money
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — clever
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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