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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. field — farmland
  4. stock — shares
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. current — of water
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — to bear
  17. branch — a division
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ground — the earth
  21. plane — a tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. plane — an aircraft

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