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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: stem · pitcher · kick · rule · cap · jam · patient · capital

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — government
  6. cap — a lid
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — a law
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  24. patient — a sick person

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