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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: deal · patient · fan · court · stock · capital · current · bank

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — goods
  8. current — of water
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a city
  20. current — happening now
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — for sport

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