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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: jam · field · bass · land · capital · patient · mouse · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — farmland
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. land — ground
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. field — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. bass — low music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a city

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