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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: hide · shower · capital · stock · can · current · season · track

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — to wash
  5. track — a song
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — rain
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — of the year
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stock — shares
  19. current — happening now
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a path
  22. stock — goods
  23. can — a tin
  24. season — in sport

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