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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 · ground · last · wound · race · bowl · charge · bulb

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. ground — the earth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. bulb — for light
  8. race — the arms race
  9. last — final
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — to go on
  14. charge — in control
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — humankind
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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