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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 120 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: ground · stock · straw · root · drill · temple · current · present

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — a gift
  3. current — electric
  4. present — the time now
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. current — happening now
  7. stock — shares
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. root — the cause
  11. current — of water
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a word
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ground — a position
  22. present — there
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. drill — a practice

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