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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: lash · bowl · ball · shower · stock · track · spell · branch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. shower — rain
  6. track — a song
  7. branch — a division
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stock — goods
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stock — shares
  16. spell — magic
  17. track — a path
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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