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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: row · race · club · trunk · pitcher · drill · bound · mug

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — for golf
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. row — to paddle
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bound — tied together
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. race — a contest
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. drill — army training
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — a practice
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — certain

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