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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: season · pound · kid · land · bound · wax · stand · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. current — of water
  8. season — in sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — a country
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — ground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — child
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. current — electric
  22. season — of the year
  23. bound — certain
  24. stand — to bear

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