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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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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: cap · tear · pound · fork · can · patient · court · key

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — for a lock
  6. can — a tin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tear — to rip
  10. key — in music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of a king
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. court — for sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. can — to be able to
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — of law

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