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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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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: fine · straw · race · cabinet · land · band · patient · kick

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a music group
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a ring
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. race — humankind
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fine — all right
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kick — in football
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — a country
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fine — a penalty

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