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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · bound · jam · trunk · march · suit · race · last

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. last — to go on
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — a contest
  7. march — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. suit — to fit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — obliged
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. suit — clothes
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — final
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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