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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: patient · bark · pop · capital · degree · track · plane · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a path
  3. bark — to shout
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. degree — an amount
  7. track — to keep track
  8. degree — from a university
  9. capital — money
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a city
  15. plane — a tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — to visit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. capital — a big letter

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