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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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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: cap · current · bay · stock · tear · bark · press · race

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. press — newspapers
  9. race — the arms race
  10. current — happening now
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — electric
  16. cap — a lid
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. press — to push
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — a contest
  24. tear — to rip

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