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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: can · land · stick · perch · bound · drill · race · pound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. drill — a practice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — a country
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bound — obliged
  14. race — humankind
  15. land — to come down
  16. drill — the tool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — to be able to
  20. drill — army training
  21. race — a contest
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — a tin
  24. bound — tied together

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