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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 · date · dip · cabinet · coach · wound · object · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. object — to protest
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — goods
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — a thing
  12. current — happening now
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. date — the fruit
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — an aim
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stock — shares
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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