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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: rest · shower · bark · file · squash · fork · stock · stem

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — shares
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — a break
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a line of people
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a tool
  24. rest — what's left

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