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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.

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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: root · pound · bowl · mug · fork · patient · capital · current

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. current — happening now
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. capital — a city
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. current — of water
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. root — of a word
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pound — a weight
  20. root — the cause
  21. capital — money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. current — electric
  24. bowl — a dish

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