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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: court · stand · nail · leaves · race · band · fan · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stand — to bear
  3. race — the arms race
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rush — hurry
  10. court — of law
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. band — a music group
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. band — a ring

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