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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 · degree · stock · fall · wax · fork · jam · bore

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — happening now
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. degree — an amount
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stock — shares
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stock — goods
  24. bore — gave birth

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