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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 120 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: kid · bear · drill · race · bulb · bass · board · bound

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — child
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — low music
  9. board — a committee
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. drill — army training
  14. race — humankind
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kid — to tease
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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