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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 120 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 · wind · kick · current · firm · ground · mine · wake

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — goods
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. firm — decided
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kick — in football
  16. firm — steady
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. firm — a company
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — happening now

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