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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.

Words on the sheet
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: stock · current · pitcher · field · mate · charge · bear · squash

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. squash — to crush

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