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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: stock · wind · pop · sharp · pound · shower · bear · calf

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — soda
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — shares
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pop — 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