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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: cap · scale · wound · shower · trunk · stock · kick · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — rain
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. scale — size or range
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stock — goods
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kick — with a leg

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