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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: rest · degree · bound · track · current · stock · straw · drill

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stock — goods
  11. rest — a break
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — from a university
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stock — shares

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