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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 116 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 · lean · current · sharp · wind · band · face · ball

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — certain
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — tied together
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — part of the head
  12. current — electric
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — thin
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — clever
  21. current — happening now
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bound — obliged

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