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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · tear · racket · wave · leaves · pound · present · stock

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — to rip
  5. current — electric
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. present — there
  16. current — happening now
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stock — goods
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — of water

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