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

Word bank: bark · bowl · cell · bank · race · bound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. race — a contest

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