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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 · chair · snap · bank · current · can · ruler · arm

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. current — electric
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. snap — to click
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. can — to be able to
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bank — of a river
  14. can — a tin
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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