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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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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: fall · temple · bound · stock · shower · season · rush · rock

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. shower — to wash
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — rain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — a stone

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