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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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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: trunk · stock · pop · pound · wave · rush · current · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — finally
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. last — final
  9. stock — goods
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stock — shares
  17. current — electric
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. trunk — of a tree

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