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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 120 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: deal · object · stock · season · shower · march · cell · wind

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. object — an aim
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. object — a thing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. object — to protest
  23. stock — shares
  24. deal — a big deal

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