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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: bear · march · rash · straw · current · roll · stock · firm

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — shares
  7. current — electric
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. firm — a company
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. firm — steady
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. current — happening now
  21. stock — goods
  22. rash — hasty
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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