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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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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: bank · wake · date · race · chest · rush · bound · jam

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. race — a contest
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — obliged
  7. race — humankind
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — a trail
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bank — for money
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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