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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. current — electric
  7. board — to get on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. board — a committee
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. current — happening now
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stock — goods
  18. current — of water
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — for sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. field — farmland

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