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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: race · nail · board · hand · ball · bulb · wound · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a committee
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — to get on
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. race — a contest

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