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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 120 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: current · race · rest · patient · bound · bark · mouse · rush

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rest — a break
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. current — of water
  23. race — humankind
  24. current — happening now

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