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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hand — help
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a music group
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — humankind
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a ring

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