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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: plane · spring · ruler · patient · track · field · race · tear

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — a contest
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. plane — a tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. field — for sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — to rip
  16. race — humankind
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. plane — an aircraft

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