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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: current · band · track · can · last · stock · cold · mug

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — a face
  6. track — a path
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — finally
  13. current — happening now
  14. mug — a cup
  15. band — a music group
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — final
  22. track — to keep track
  23. current — electric
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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