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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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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: mug · spring · bound · current · stand · ground · net · mine

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. current — happening now
  12. spring — the season
  13. current — of water
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. net — in sport
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mug — a face
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ground — a position
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ground — the earth
  23. current — electric
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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