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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.

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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: track · degree · land · pop · patient · dip · mouse · charge

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — to come down
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — a country
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — ground
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. charge — in control
  23. pop — to visit
  24. degree — from a university

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