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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — a position
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — shares
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — goods
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. track — a song
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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