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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: cue · tear · bulb · chest · bound · mouse · race · pitcher

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — a signal
  5. race — humankind
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. tear — from crying

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