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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 120 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: nail · can · tear · craft · pass · bound · current · wound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — happening now
  6. bound — obliged
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — tied together
  9. craft — boats
  10. current — of water
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. current — electric
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a skill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. can — a tin
  24. pass — to spend time

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