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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — a path
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — shares
  7. current — of water
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a song
  11. root — the cause
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. current — happening now

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