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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: prune · mine · bound · ball · race · mark · chest · stock

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — humankind
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — a box
  16. stock — goods
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ball — a dance
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. race — a contest
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — to pay attention

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