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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: fork · chest · land · wound · pitch · bass · pound · current

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — of water
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. land — to come down
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. land — a country
  19. pound — a weight
  20. land — ground
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — electric
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — of your body

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