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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.

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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: press · last · bound · capital · patient · rock · field · board

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — a committee
  3. capital — money
  4. last — to go on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. field — farmland
  7. press — newspapers
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — for sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. last — finally
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — to get on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — final
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. press — to push

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