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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: race · rush · bound · march · spell · prune · mouse · bear

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — humankind
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — certain
  18. march — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — the month

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