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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: mark · leaves · stock · shower · sharp · lean · straw · wave

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. shower — rain
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. sharp — clever
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — a grade

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