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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: kick · stock · wake · race · spell · roll · prune · shower

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — shares
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. race — a contest
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — goods
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. roll — a list
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. roll — a cake
  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