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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · current · wound · bound · scale · bass

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. scale — in music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — of water
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. current — happening now
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — a country
  18. current — electric

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