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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: bound · squash · plane · mate · straw · race · coach · hand

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bound — certain
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — help
  6. race — a contest
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — in cards
  9. squash — the sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — to crush
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — a friend
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bound — obliged
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mate — to breed

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