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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: hand · pound · fan · present · stock · ground · current · perch

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — help
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — a gift
  9. stock — goods
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. stock — shares
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fan — a supporter

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