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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: date · bound · mouse · branch · field · mark · roll · race

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — a contest
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — humankind
  17. field — a subject
  18. branch — a division
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. field — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a list

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