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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: object · season · stock · rock · mark · cell · current · coach

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. object — to protest
  3. mark — a grade
  4. object — a thing
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rock — music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. object — an aim
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — of the year
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — of water
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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