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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: racket · trunk · fan · roll · pound · tube · race · patient

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — the arms race
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. roll — a list
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. race — a contest

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