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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · wave · cue · current · key · land · bound · mine

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — a hint
  4. march — music
  5. current — electric
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. bound — certain
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bound — tied together
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — of water
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cue — for pool
  20. march — the month
  21. current — happening now
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. march — the month
  24. key — for a lock

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