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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. current — happening now
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. band — a music group
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. land — ground
  17. current — electric
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a ring
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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