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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: can · season · bound · date · dip · current · bay · wind

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. can — a tin
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — in sport

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