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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: shower · club · root · hide · chip · stock · fork · rash

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stock — goods
  6. club — for golf
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. root — of a word
  10. shower — rain
  11. chip — for betting
  12. root — the cause
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — a group
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rash — a series
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fork — in a road

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