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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: race · lean · can · cell · pitch · mouse · wake · bound

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — completely
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cell — in biology
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — a contest
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. race — humankind

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