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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: wound · band · bound · cabinet · chair · current · fork · club

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. club — for golf
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — electric
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — a group
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — for dancing

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