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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 120 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: mouse · hide · capital · cabinet · lean · shower · squash · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — rain
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — shares
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — goods

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