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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: bowl · bound · land · rock · current · rash · bore · clip

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. land — ground
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — a country
  17. rock — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bore — to tire
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rock — to move gently

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