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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: patient · row · degree · capital · chest · rock · rash · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. net — for catching
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  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