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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: scale · bulb · ground · hand · net · bound · race · craft

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. race — humankind
  9. ground — crushed
  10. race — a contest
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — after costs
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — a skill
  19. net — for catching
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — a position
  22. craft — boats
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bulb — for light

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