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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · tear · wake · toast · current · staff · march · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. toast — bread
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tear — to rip
  10. march — music
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. march — the month
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — a stick
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — goods
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — shares
  23. current — of water
  24. staff — employees

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