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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 116 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: patient · spring · ground · scale · rush · race · cabinet · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ground — the earth
  12. race — a contest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. race — humankind
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. scale — size or range
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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