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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: bear · leaves · race · fall · patient · pound · bass · kid

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kid — child
  14. race — humankind
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — a contest
  23. fall — the season
  24. pound — for dogs

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