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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. current — happening now
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bound — certain
  5. current — of water
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spring — a coil
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — of water
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. nail — for a hammer

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