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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: degree · tear · march · cap · charge · patient

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — an amount
  6. charge — a price
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. charge — in control
  13. march — music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — a hat

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