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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: race · mug · land · board · jam · squash · patient · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — a country
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — to come down
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. board — to get on
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. race — humankind
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mug — to rob
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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