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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: racket · field · rash · mine · object · stand · race · bear

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. field — farmland
  3. race — a contest
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. race — humankind
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. object — a thing
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — for sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. field — a subject
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — for digging

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