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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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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: club · land · wake · rush · shower · stock · rock · calf

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. club — a group
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stock — shares
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — ground
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — for dancing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rock — music

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