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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: straw · rash · current · prune · track · stock · calf · face

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. current — of water
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — part of the head
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rash — a series
  10. current — electric
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — shares
  13. face — to point toward
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. track — a song
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. prune — the fruit

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