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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: swing · bound · mine · object · ground · craft · race · hand

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. object — a thing
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. object — an aim
  6. craft — boats
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. swing — music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. race — a contest
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — for digging
  17. race — humankind
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — the arms race
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. object — to protest
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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