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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · capital · snap · current · wound · stock · date · wake

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — happening now
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — goods
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wound — an injury
  18. current — electric
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — money
  22. snap — to click
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. date — on the calendar

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