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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · mug · capital · arm · track · degree · wake · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. track — a path
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mug — to rob
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a city
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mug — a face
  15. track — a song
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a cup
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — an amount
  20. track — to keep track
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — money
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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