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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
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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: coach · rash · capital · degree · can · patient · field · sharp

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — temperature
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rash — a series
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. degree — from a university
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — a tin

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