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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: object · bound · pound · court · ball · wound · plane · current

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bound — tied together
  5. current — of water
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. bound — obliged
  10. court — of law
  11. current — electric
  12. object — to protest
  13. ball — a great time
  14. plane — a tool
  15. object — an aim
  16. bound — certain
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — a thing
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ball — a dance
  24. current — happening now

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