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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 116 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: field · track · squash · patient · mug · bear · face · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mug — a face
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — a song
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — to crush
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a path
  24. face — to point toward

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