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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: march · lie · clip · bound · charge · stem · bore · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. march — the month
  3. race — humankind
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — to cut
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — a video
  15. lie — to recline
  16. charge — a price
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stem — of a plant
  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