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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: bowl · patient · race · craft · pound · kick

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — in football
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. race — a contest
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. race — the arms race

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