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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: chip · trunk · fan · date · stock · track · temple · shower

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. track — to keep track
  10. date — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chip — to eat
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — a path
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. chip — for betting

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