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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: stick · stock · jam · present · roll · bore · pop · shower

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. roll — a cake
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. shower — rain
  10. roll — a list
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — there
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pop — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — the time now
  21. stock — shares
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. present — a gift

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