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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: band · prune · cabinet · wake · race · wind · toast · patient

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. race — a contest
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — humankind
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. band — a ring

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