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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: band · race · patient · lean · snap · spell · craft · chair

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — the arms race
  4. band — a ring
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to click
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — a skill
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — magic
  16. craft — boats
  17. race — a contest
  18. lean — to bend
  19. race — humankind
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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