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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: bank · stock · rest · court · snap · shower · pound · mug

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — shares
  3. mug — a face
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bank — of a river
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. court — of law
  11. bank — for money
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — goods
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. court — for sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mug — a cup
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — rain
  21. snap — to click
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rest — a break

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