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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 · saw · cell · squash · bound · foot · wound · date

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cell — in biology
  11. squash — to crush
  12. foot — a measure
  13. date — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. current — electric
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — certain
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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