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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 116 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 · wind · rash · stand · field · prune · rock · stock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — a stone
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stock — goods
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — rain
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — for spectators

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