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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 116 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: pitcher · bulb · band · mine · rush · bound · calf · race

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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