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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: degree · field · mug · bank · patient · band · racket · capital

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bank — of a river
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a ring
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a cup
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — for sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bank — for money
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a music group
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bank — for money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — a subject
  24. mug — a face

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