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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 · season · race · file · plane · game · bank · bound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — of water
  5. race — a contest
  6. current — electric
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. race — the arms race
  10. season — of the year
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bank — for money
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. current — happening now
  17. file — a tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a match
  22. file — a document
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bound — tied together

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