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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: row · wound · degree · stock · pitcher · craft · current · jam

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stock — shares
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stock — goods
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. current — happening now
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — temperature
  13. current — of water
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — an amount
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. row — a line
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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