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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bank — for money
  6. current — electric
  7. bank — for money
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — the season
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bank — of a river
  16. can — to be able to
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — goods
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — to drop

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