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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 116 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: bark · capital · track · bass · safe · season · coach · patient

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. capital — a city
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — low music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — a path
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. track — a song
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. track — to keep track

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