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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: trunk · bound · current · stand · land · mine · pop · squash

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. land — to come down
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pop — soda
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — ground
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. current — electric
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — obliged
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. land — a country

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