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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: ball · race · date · root · bound · hand · pound · stem

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. date — the fruit
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — a contest
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a word
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — the cause
  22. stem — to come from
  23. ball — a great time
  24. race — the arms race

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