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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
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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: leaves · bass · calf · race · patient · last · rash · mine

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — to go on
  10. rash — a series
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — finally
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — hasty
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — a sick person

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