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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: current · bound · bay · field · bank · spring · snap · scale

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. current — of water
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bank — of a river
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. field — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spring — a coil
  11. field — a subject
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — of water
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — in music
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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