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

Word bank: drill · safe · mine · current · pound · land

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — the tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — a weight
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. drill — army training
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now

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