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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: content · pitcher · drill · rush · foot · press · capital · stem

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — a measure
  3. content — happy
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. drill — army training
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — a thrill

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