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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: race · bound · bat · racket · shower · bulb · wax · stick

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wax — to grow
  14. race — humankind
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. racket — for tennis

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