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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: current · bound · roll · hand · stick · can · saw · net

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — happening now
  3. bound — tied together
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — for catching
  7. bound — certain
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — electric
  12. hand — help
  13. net — in sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — of water
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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