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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: firm · content · stock · shower · mate · game · bark · rush

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — to breed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — rain
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — a partner
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. firm — decided
  20. rush — hurry
  21. firm — a company
  22. content — happy
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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