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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 · bore · band · calf · bowl · race · mine · pitcher

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bore — to drill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a music group
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. race — a contest
  19. bore — to tire
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. race — the arms race

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