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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 · tear · scale · stock · race · club · deal · object

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. race — humankind
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — in music
  7. race — a contest
  8. object — a thing
  9. club — a group
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — goods
  14. object — to protest
  15. club — for golf
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — for dancing
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. scale — size or range

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