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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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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: lean · stick · degree · race · patient · current · rest · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. race — a contest
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — the arms race
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lean — thin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to bend
  17. degree — from a university
  18. current — happening now
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — of water
  24. race — humankind

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