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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: wave · row · jam · root · shower · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. root — the cause
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a word
  13. shower — rain
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. row — a line
  18. stock — shares

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