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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: race · mouse · bound · net · degree · root · bulb · mate

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — the cause
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bound — tied together
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. race — humankind
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — certain
  24. mate — a friend

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