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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: hand · fine · straw · ground · bear · rest · bound · current

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — all right
  15. current — electric
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bound — certain
  24. current — happening now

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