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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: rash · drill · shower · stock · branch · leaves · saw · ground

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. drill — army training
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — a practice
  24. saw — the tool

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