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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: leaves · bound · land · last · press · pitch · saw · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — to push
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. last — finally
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. current — happening now
  10. land — to come down
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. current — electric
  24. press — newspapers

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