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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: saw · pit · current · row · field · bound · mouse · mug

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — happening now
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. field — farmland
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mug — a face
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. current — of water
  19. pit — in a race
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — electric

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