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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — of water
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — the season
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — an injury

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