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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 · hide · cabinet · shower · rest · game · wake · patient

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a match
  18. stock — goods
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — to keep secret

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