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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: rush · wind · current · nail · perch · coach · bass · stock

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — of water
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — shares
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — for a bird

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