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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 · stock · field · wound · cap · pitcher · bay · bound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — happening now
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cap — a lid

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