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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: hide · leaves · patient · degree · capital · pit

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — a city
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. capital — money
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — temperature
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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