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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 120 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: bound · stick · arm · race · march · degree · prune · track

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. march — music
  8. race — a contest
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — obliged
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. track — to keep track
  18. race — the arms race
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — to trim

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