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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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468
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: craft · current · court · snap · lean · pound · band · land

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — electric
  5. craft — a skill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. snap — to click
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. craft — boats
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pound — a weight
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a music group
  24. current — of water

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