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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: pound · stock · current · last · bowl · bore · tube · cell

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. current — electric
  3. stock — shares
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — final
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bore — to drill
  10. current — happening now
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — of water
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stock — goods
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bore — gave birth

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