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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: shower · can · object · bound · cap · stock · temple · wound

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — goods
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. object — an aim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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