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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 120 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: current · land · stock · game · fall · degree · leaves · bowl

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — a country
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — happening now
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. game — a match
  10. current — electric
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — an amount
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fall — the season

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