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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: stick · bound · bear · stand · cell · jam · race · roll

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. roll — a list
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. roll — a cake
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. race — humankind
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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