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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: content · can · shower · bear · fan · stock · present · bark

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — the amount
  4. shower — to wash
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — goods
  7. present — there
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — a gift
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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