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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mate — a partner
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stock — goods
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mate — to breed
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stock — shares
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. current — electric
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stock — a soup base

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