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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: pit · bound · spell · race · mine · wax · nail · band

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. band — a ring
  5. spell — magic
  6. wax — to grow
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. band — a music group
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pit — a hole
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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