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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: wave · march · stock · current · band · lie · file · present

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stock — goods
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. march — the month
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. march — the month
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. stock — shares
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. present — the time now
  15. file — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a document
  19. current — electric
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. march — music
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a ring
  24. wave — with your hand

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