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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.

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: fan · wax · bank · patient · march · press · capital · fall

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. fall — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. press — newspapers

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