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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: current · land · track · stock · bat · pop · bound · stand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — electric
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — happening now
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pop — to visit
  12. current — of water
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. stock — shares
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a path
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. track — a song

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