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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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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: root · bound · hand · mate · race · band · bank · ball

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. race — humankind
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. race — a contest
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — tied together
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a music group
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mate — to breed
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mate — a friend
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a ring

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