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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: saw · nail · bound · wound · hand · mark · band · race

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — help
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mark — a trace

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