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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 116 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: bound · mug · pop · ground · rest · wake · straw · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — a break
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — happening now
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — electric
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a face
  22. ground — a position
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — tied together

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