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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: nail · scale · mug · drill · stock · prune · bound · race

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — certain
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bound — tied together
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — in music
  17. mug — a face
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — goods
  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