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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: stick · coach · stock · lash · current · stand · mine · shower

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — happening now
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stand — to bear
  6. current — electric
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — for digging
  16. shower — rain
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stock — a soup base

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