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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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468
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: plane · dip · stock · mark · fall · current · game · wound

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stock — goods
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wound — an injury
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fall — the season
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a match
  24. current — electric

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