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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — goods
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — of water
  14. stock — shares
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — after costs
  24. fan — to cool the air

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