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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: wound · craft · stock · court · safe · current · field · rash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — happening now
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. stock — shares
  6. craft — boats
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — for sport
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — a series
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — goods
  16. court — of a king
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. craft — a skill
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — a subject
  24. stock — a soup base

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