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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: march · chip · ruler · wound · stock · current · perch · bound

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — goods
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. current — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. march — the month

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