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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: bound · spell · march · race · branch · bulb · cue · file

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — tied together
  3. race — a contest
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. branch — a division
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. race — the arms race
  24. file — a line of people

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