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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: wound · fork · bore · mark · band · race · can · dip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. can — to be able to
  3. band — a ring
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bore — to drill
  9. race — humankind
  10. mark — a trace
  11. band — a music group
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bore — to tire
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. race — a contest
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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