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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: pound · season · patient · ball · mark · bound · spring · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ball — a dance
  3. season — of the year
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bound — obliged
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bound — certain
  24. race — the arms race

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