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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: tear · march · field · rule · rash · stock · current · snap

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — a series
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rule — a law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stock — shares
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — of water
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — government
  14. rash — hasty
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — for sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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