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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 · shower · firm · pop · bank · bark · jam · bat

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. firm — steady
  3. stock — shares
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bark — to shout
  7. firm — decided
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — goods
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. firm — a company
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bank — for money
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pop — soda
  23. bank — for money
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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