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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: stock · bass · wind · dip · content · season · current · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stock — shares
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — goods
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — low music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — electric
  16. content — the amount
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — in sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — of the year
  24. current — happening now

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