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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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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: stem · fork · patient · wind · degree · capital · track · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — in a road
  5. degree — an amount
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. degree — from a university
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. track — to keep track
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. degree — temperature
  16. capital — a city
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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