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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · temple · rock · stock · cell · perch · trunk · mine

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — shares
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. temple — a place of worship

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