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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: shower · bank · lean · craft · pit · stock · chest · toast

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bank — of a river
  4. craft — boats
  5. bank — for money
  6. chest — a box
  7. shower — to wash
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lean — thin
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — to bend

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