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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: straw · stock · pop · cabinet · swing · current · snap · shower

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pop — soda
  12. swing — in golf
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. shower — rain
  16. swing — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. stock — shares
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — of water
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pop — to visit

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