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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: wake · file · shower · cell · snap · cabinet · stock · rock

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rock — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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