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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · calf · race · track · mine · racket · rash · spell

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spell — magic
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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