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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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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: court · bank · rest · rash · bound · field · current · club

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — farmland
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — a group
  11. rash — a series
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — certain
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — for sport
  18. club — for golf
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — a subject
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. bank — of a river

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