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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: bound · mouse · coach · hand · rash · field · race · mine

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. 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. field — for sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. rash — a series
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. 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