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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: hide · net · capital · bark · branch · fan · cap · patient

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. capital — a city
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a lid
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — in sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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