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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: field · mug · mark · bear · hand · bound · spell · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — for sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mug — a face
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — farmland
  20. mug — a cup
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — help
  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