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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a music group
  6. rule — government
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — of water
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a ring

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