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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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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: last · band · deal · race · pass · spring · pound · bound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bound — certain
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — finally
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bound — obliged
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. last — final
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. band — a music group
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — the arms race

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