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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 · capital · season · leaves · shower · hide · date · last

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — of the year
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stock — shares
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stock — goods
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — money
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. capital — a city

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