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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: bark · stem · roll · shower · jam · lash · stock · saw

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stock — goods
  16. roll — a list
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — rain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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