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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: patient · cap · stand · pitch · capital · drill · band · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. capital — money
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. drill — army training
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a music group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — a lid

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