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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: rush · season · leaves · race · spell · patient · board · track

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. board — a committee
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. board — to get on
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — letters
  13. track — to keep track
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. track — a song
  21. race — humankind
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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