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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: capital · jam · mark · press · band · patient · foot · land

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a music group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. press — to push
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. press — a publisher
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — a country
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. foot — the bottom

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