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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: rush · land · wound · cabinet · season · lean · march · race

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — the month
  7. race — the arms race
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — in sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — music
  24. race — humankind

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