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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: stock · safe · shower · row · ball · band · root · club

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. club — for golf
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stock — shares
  9. root — of a plant
  10. club — a group
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. row — to paddle
  15. root — the cause
  16. club — for dancing
  17. root — of a word
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. row — a line
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. band — a music group
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ball — a dance

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