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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · hand · shower · field · straw · stand · wind · stock

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. field — a subject
  19. hand — help
  20. field — farmland
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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