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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 120 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: fork · sharp · pitcher · fan · temple · capital · spring · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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