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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: stock · mine · shower · scale · band · leaves · firm · hide

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a ring
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — rain
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. firm — decided
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — a company
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. firm — steady
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hide — animal skin
  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