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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 116 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 · track · capital · stock · squash · wave · fine · calf

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a path
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fine — all right
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. calf — a young animal

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