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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: swing · mine · wind · bound · fan · land · current · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — to come down
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — ground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — of water
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — electric
  24. swing — music

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