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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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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: pass · bound · kid · tube · pound · trunk · hand · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. kid — child
  23. race — a contest
  24. kid — to tease

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