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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: cabinet · patient · mug · squash · root · face · race · object

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. object — an aim
  3. squash — the sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. root — of a word
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — to point toward
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a face
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — to rob
  16. object — a thing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. root — the cause
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — a cup
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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