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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: chest · stock · craft · shower · stand · wound · face · current

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — happening now
  7. face — part of the head
  8. current — of water
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — shares
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chest — of your body

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