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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: wound · stock · last · pound · current · bowl · racket · ground

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — of water
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — finally
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. current — happening now
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. current — electric
  17. stock — goods
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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