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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: tear · patient · bass · degree · capital · field · suit · stand

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — money
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. capital — a city
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. suit — in cards
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. degree — from a university
  22. suit — clothes
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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