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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: can · capital · patient · rule · squash · stock · current · face

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. can — a tin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. current — happening now
  8. stock — shares
  9. current — electric
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — part of the head
  19. capital — money
  20. rule — a law
  21. capital — a city
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — to rule out

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