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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: current · hand · squash · stock · tear · nail · pound · wind

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — a weight
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — help
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — electric
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — happening now
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stock — goods

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