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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 · stand · lean · chest · track · patient · root · spring

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spring — of water
  8. root — the cause
  9. track — to keep track
  10. root — of a word
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stand — to bear
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — a box
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lean — thin

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