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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 · game · rash · kid · wave · rock · ground · stock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — a position
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — crushed
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — shares
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — child
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — happening now
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. current — of water
  24. game — a match

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