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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 116 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: stick · band · tube · straw · bulb · wound · rock · race

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — a container
  12. band — a ring
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tube — the underground
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. race — a contest
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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