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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: race · stock · drill · mate · current · temple · snap · prune

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stock — shares
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — to breed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. snap — to click
  16. current — of water
  17. mate — a partner
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mate — a friend
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — army training

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