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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: current · prune · race · drill · patient · snap · lean · march

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. race — a contest
  5. drill — army training
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — of water
  9. lean — thin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. march — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. patient — a sick person

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