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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: chair · fork · stock · jam · land · scale · current · leaves

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stock — shares
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — in a road
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — a leader
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. land — ground

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