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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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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 · rest · march · cap · spring · patient · fork · coach

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — a contest
  6. march — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — in a road
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rest — a break
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — humankind
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — a garden tool

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