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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · spring · current · land · mine · patient · bound · present

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — obliged
  3. present — a gift
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — of water
  6. current — of water
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. roll — a list
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — a country
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bound — tied together
  23. present — there
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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