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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: wound · clip · temple · root · patient · race

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — the arms race
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — of a plant
  14. clip — a video
  15. race — a contest
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. race — humankind

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