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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 116 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: craft · shower · club · pass · stock · stand · spring · hand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. club — a group
  3. spring — of water
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. shower — rain
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. hand — help
  15. club — for golf
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — a skill
  18. club — for dancing
  19. craft — boats
  20. stand — to bear
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — a handicraft

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