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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: row · bore · bound · race · current · clip · band · rule

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — a line
  8. race — a contest
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — to cut
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a ring
  19. rule — a law
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. rule — government
  23. current — electric
  24. row — to paddle

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