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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: jam · cold · ground · current · rash · bound · wave · stick

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rash — a series
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bound — tied together
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. current — happening now
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rash — hasty
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. current — of water
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — certain
  22. current — electric
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rash — on the skin

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