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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.

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: spring · rash · kick · fan · chest · race · patient · mug

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. race — the arms race
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. race — a contest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. kick — in football
  16. rash — hasty
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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