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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 116 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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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: rest · stem · current · fork · capital · cue · land · patient

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. land — to come down
  5. cue — a signal
  6. current — happening now
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. land — a country
  10. current — of water
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rest — a break
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. land — ground
  18. current — electric
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rest — what's left

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