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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: current · hand · pound · bound · jam · temple · march · mine

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hand — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — happening now
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — for digging
  22. current — electric
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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