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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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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: drill · track · leaves · prune · hand · present · stock · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. present — there
  3. drill — a practice
  4. shower — rain
  5. track — a song
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — the time now
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. drill — army training
  11. stock — shares
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — to wash
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — a gift
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — to trim

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