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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 120 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 · race · file · bass · trunk · leaves · kid · pop

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bass — low music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — humankind
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. file — a document
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — to tease
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. file — a tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — child
  23. trunk — of a car
  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