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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: bowl · shower · present · cell · nail · stock

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — in biology
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. shower — rain
  10. present — the time now
  11. cell — a phone
  12. present — a gift
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. shower — to wash

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