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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: bound · mine · bank · fan · fine · land · hand · current

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bank — for money
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mine — for digging
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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