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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.

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: press · degree · club · bark · rock · track · capital · patient

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rock — music
  11. track — a path
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — to push
  16. track — a song
  17. club — a group
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — newspapers
  21. club — for golf
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. capital — a city

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