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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: bound · face · shower · fork · clip · mug · sharp · current

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — certain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. current — happening now
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — to cut
  9. face — to confront
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. current — electric
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — rain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mug — a cup
  20. face — to point toward
  21. current — of water
  22. mug — to rob
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fork — in a road

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