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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. firm — a company
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — in music
  7. stock — shares
  8. current — happening now
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. firm — steady
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. firm — decided
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. trunk — of a tree

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