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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 · present · spell · wind · suit · stock · bank · court

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. court — of a king
  5. bank — for money
  6. suit — in cards
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bank — of a river
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — magic
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of law
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — for money
  23. present — there
  24. stock — shares

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