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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: tube · mark · row · current · shower · race · stock · temple

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — a container
  10. race — the arms race
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stock — shares
  14. current — of water
  15. shower — rain
  16. race — a contest
  17. row — a line
  18. tube — the underground
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — electric
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a grade
  23. current — happening now
  24. temple — a place of worship

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