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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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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: race · pound · bound · tear · current · bulb · arm · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — humankind
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. race — a contest
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — the arms race
  23. current — happening now
  24. pound — to hit hard

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