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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: rush · club · leaves · bound · foot · race · pound · mine

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. race — humankind
  24. leaves — to go away

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