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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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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: bound · craft · bat · current · wind · hand · mark · bank

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — certain
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — electric
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — boats
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. current — happening now
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. current — of water

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