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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: lean · bore · current · row · bark · straw · stock · safe

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stock — goods
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — a line
  15. lean — thin
  16. current — happening now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. bore — to tire

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