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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. current — electric
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — of ice
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — in music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. current — of water
  18. key — the most important part
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — a trail
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tube — a container
  24. current — happening now

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