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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: root · patient · last · pound · race · racket · scale · wave

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — a contest
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. last — final
  9. race — the arms race
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — finally
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — a weight
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — in music
  21. last — to go on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wave — with your hand

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