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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: tube · stock · rash · spring · snap · shower · rock · track

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. snap — to click
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — a path
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — rain
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rash — a series
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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