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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · patient · content · net · capital · press · bowl · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — the amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — for catching
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. content — happy
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. capital — money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — a city
  24. spring — a coil

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