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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: trunk · bound · fine · race · key · hand · bore · wax

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — help
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — for a lock

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