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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 · tube · current · swing · wave · last · net · spell

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. current — electric
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. net — in sport
  8. last — final
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. net — after costs
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. swing — music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — magic
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — in golf

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