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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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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 · drill · stock · prune · ground · clip · content · mark

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stock — shares
  3. drill — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stock — goods
  12. current — of water
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ground — a position
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. current — electric
  24. clip — for paper

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