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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: degree · bore · race · coach · mouse · fine · bound · clip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. race — humankind
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bound — certain
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — a video
  13. bound — tied together
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — a contest
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mouse — the animal

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