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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: patient · wax · capital · fork · calf · plane · press · wound

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. press — newspapers
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fork — a garden tool

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