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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: arm · spell · wind · stick · rash · patient · race · game

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spell — letters
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — humankind
  22. wind — moving air
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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