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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · land · current · chest · stick · bound · fork · mine

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — a box
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — a line
  7. land — to come down
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. land — ground
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. land — a country
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — of water
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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