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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: pound · chip · wind · race · racket · fall · stick · patient

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. race — a contest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chip — for betting
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — moving air

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