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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: shower · wake · stock · can · tear · march · lash · saw

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — rain
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — shares
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — a soup base

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