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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: ruler · nail · pop · race · bear · field · wake · bound

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — farmland
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. race — humankind
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — a subject
  19. race — a contest
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. field — for sport

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