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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 · bound · can · stock · lie · wake · band · bark

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. can — a tin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lie — to recline
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a ring
  11. bound — tied together
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — certain
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. race — a contest
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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