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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · patient · race · pitcher · lie · pound · board · rock

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. race — humankind
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. rock — music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — to get on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — ground
  20. lie — to recline
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — a contest
  23. rock — a stone
  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