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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 · saw · bound · bank · band · season · swing · squash

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a ring
  6. swing — in golf
  7. band — a music group
  8. bank — of a river
  9. race — the arms race
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. swing — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — a contest

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