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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: staff · capital · row · fan · spring · patient · board · cabinet

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spring — a coil
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. capital — money
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. row — to paddle
  18. capital — a city
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. board — to get on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. board — a committee

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