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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: lie · capital · shower · hide · stock · net · roll · wave

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stock — shares
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — for catching
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. net — in sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lie — to recline
  22. roll — a list
  23. capital — money
  24. stock — goods

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