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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: fan · patient · bank · wave · last · pitch · rock · race

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitch — completely
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bank — for money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. last — final
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rock — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — finally

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