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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — of water
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — humankind
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — of law
  18. race — a contest
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

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