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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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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — for sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a hint
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. current — happening now
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a ring
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. field — farmland
  24. bound — certain

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