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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: ground · pound · bound · current · pop · mate · object · craft

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. craft — boats
  3. mate — to breed
  4. object — to protest
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. current — of water
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ground — a position
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bound — certain
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pop — soda
  19. mate — a friend
  20. current — happening now
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pop — music
  24. current — electric

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