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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 · fan · rash · stock · mine · jam · spell · arm

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stock — shares
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — magic
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mine — for digging
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stock — goods
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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