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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: date · lie · craft · stock · net · club · shower · rush

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. craft — boats
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — after costs
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — a group
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — shares
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — to recline
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — for golf
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stock — goods
  23. rush — hurry
  24. shower — to wash

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