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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. club — a group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — of water
  10. stock — goods
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — for golf
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — from crying
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — to rip
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pound — for dogs

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