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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 120 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: net · race · current · bound · pop · bank · wave · spell

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pop — soda
  5. bank — of a river
  6. current — happening now
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — certain
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — for catching
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bank — for money
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — of water
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — humankind
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. current — electric
  24. net — in sport

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