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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · patient · capital · leaves · degree · march

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — an amount
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. march — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — from a university

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