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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
468
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: ground · branch · mine · patient · race · object · kid · track

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — to tease
  6. object — an aim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — a position
  10. kid — child
  11. object — to protest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — the arms race
  19. track — a song
  20. race — a contest
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — a division
  24. track — a path

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