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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: bound · season · nail · rest · wind · bore · race · staff

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — of the year
  4. race — humankind
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. staff — employees
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. race — the arms race
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — a contest
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bound — tied together
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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