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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: ground · land · current · bowl · tube · can · bore · race

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — to come down
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. race — humankind
  11. land — ground
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. race — the arms race
  21. tube — a container
  22. land — a country
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tube — the underground

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