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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: board · current · stock · straw · sharp · squash · track · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. track — to keep track
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — a song
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — to crush
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tube — a container
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. current — happening now
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — the sport

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