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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — farmland
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to sink
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — music
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — to rip

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