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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: bank · root · bore · can · firm · shower · capital · stock

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bank — of a river
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. capital — a city
  8. bank — for money
  9. firm — decided
  10. root — the cause
  11. stock — goods
  12. capital — money
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. root — of a word
  16. can — a tin
  17. firm — steady
  18. can — to be able to
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to drill
  24. root — of a plant

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