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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 · pass · jam · bound · pound · row · face · hand

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — in cards
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — a line
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. current — electric
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. face — to point toward
  22. current — of water
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bound — obliged

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