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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: hide · bound · mark · race · band · rush · last · wind

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. band — a music group
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. last — final
  19. band — a ring
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hide — animal skin

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