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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 120 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: land · saw · bound · rash · swing · pound · current · season

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — a country
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rash — hasty
  9. current — electric
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — in sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rash — a series
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. current — of water
  24. swing — music

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