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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: ground · wave · current · bear · hand · stock · rule · field

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. field — farmland
  3. current — of water
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — electric
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — a position
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stock — goods
  20. rule — government
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. field — for sport

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