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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: season · band · patient · fall · pitcher · jam · race · track

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. band — a ring
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a song
  15. race — a contest
  16. fall — to drop
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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