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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: drill · bank · patient · pitcher · wake · capital · band · sharp

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bank — of a river
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. drill — army training
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — money
  24. bank — for money

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