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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: drill · patient · capital · last · stick · press · jam · face

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — to confront
  5. capital — a city
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. face — part of the head
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — newspapers
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — to go on
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. press — a publisher
  20. drill — a practice
  21. face — to point toward
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — finally

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