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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: present · ball · hand · stock · stand · wave · shower · staff

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stock — goods
  7. stand — to bear
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — there
  10. shower — rain
  11. hand — help
  12. present — the time now
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. present — a gift
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — to wash
  22. ball — a great time
  23. staff — employees
  24. stand — on your feet

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