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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: spring · ground · ruler · wave · patient · race

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. race — humankind
  12. ground — crushed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — the season

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