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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 116 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: ground · season · saw · present · current · stock · perch · bore

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. present — the time now
  10. current — electric
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — the fish
  18. present — a gift
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — happening now
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — there
  23. current — of water
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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