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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: swing · bear · wake · staff · stock · degree · date · current

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — happening now
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. current — electric
  24. staff — a stick

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