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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: pound · bound · key · rash · wake · safe · current · wound

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rash — hasty
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. current — happening now
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — tied together
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — in music
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. key — for a lock
  17. current — electric
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — certain
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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