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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: stock · swing · tear · tube · mine · nail · wound · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. swing — in golf
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — goods
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stock — shares
  16. current — of water
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — a container
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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