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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 116 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: bear · stock · shower · tear · safe · squash · spring · can

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — a tin
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — of water
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tear — to rip
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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