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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 · rest · kid · straw · shower · net · jam · plane

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. net — after costs
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rest — what's left
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — shares
  24. rest — a break

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