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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 · spell · bowl · shower · tube · face · stem · kid

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spell — magic
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. face — to confront
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — a container
  23. kid — to tease
  24. shower — rain

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