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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 · race · bat · tear · mine · wave · trunk · plane

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bound — certain
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bat — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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