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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — of the year
  12. current — happening now
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pop — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. season — in sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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