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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: race · patient · rash · clip · arm · root · track · game

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — of a word
  8. clip — a video
  9. root — the cause
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. clip — to cut
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — humankind
  17. game — a match
  18. race — a contest
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a song
  21. race — the arms race
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — for paper

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