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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: present · hand · key · wound · nail · deal · bound · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hand — help
  3. present — a gift
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. current — happening now
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — certain
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — there
  18. current — electric
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wound — an injury

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