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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: chip · can · mine · race · bound · band · spell · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — a contest
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. band — a ring
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — certain
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. race — humankind
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — a series
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — an explosive

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