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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: tear · present · current · stick · wake · bass · stock · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. present — there
  4. bass — the fish
  5. present — a gift
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — the time now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — electric
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — low music
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — shares
  19. wake — a trail
  20. current — of water
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stock — goods
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bass — the instrument

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