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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: field · bound · bear · dip · foot · plane · fine · race

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — the arms race
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bound — obliged
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — a measure
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fine — high quality
  24. dip — to dunk

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