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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: bound · pound · wound · root · spell · cue · vault · race

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — obliged
  7. race — the arms race
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bound — tied together
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — of a word
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. root — the cause
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pound — to hit hard

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