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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 120 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: dip · patient · present · degree · stand · mine · capital · bear

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. present — the time now
  6. degree — an amount
  7. capital — money
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stand — to bear
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. degree — temperature
  23. present — there
  24. dip — a sauce

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