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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: court · saw · current · bound · hide · straw · stem · band

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — of water
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. court — of law
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stem — to come from
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — for sport
  24. hide — animal skin

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