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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: land · lash · band · pitch · current · mug · can · bound

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — completely
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — ground
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. land — a country
  23. current — of water
  24. band — a music group

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