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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: sharp · mine · wound · saw · racket · fork · firm · current

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. firm — decided
  14. current — electric
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — steady
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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