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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: rock · tear · leaves · stock · can · current · rash · dip

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. can — to be able to
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. current — of water
  6. stock — goods
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. tear — from crying

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