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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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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: content · bank · pit · wind · race · patient

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. pit — in a race
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — happy
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. race — a contest
  17. content — the amount
  18. pit — a hole

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