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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — final
  7. current — happening now
  8. field — a subject
  9. current — of water
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — goods
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — shares
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — to wash
  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