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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: stand · spell · last · race · bulb · chip · pound · land

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spell — letters
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. last — finally
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. land — a country
  8. chip — for betting
  9. land — to come down
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — to go on
  15. land — ground
  16. race — a contest
  17. last — final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — to bear
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. spell — magic

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