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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: row · wax · drill · temple · patient · capital · bowl · fork

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a line
  11. drill — army training
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — money

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