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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 · arm · bulb · stock · pass · band · march · cold

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — of water
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — not warm
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. current — electric
  24. band — a music group

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