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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: craft · bound · file · current · cell · land · can · mine

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. land — to come down
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — happening now
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. land — a country
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — for digging

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