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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 · stock · track · band · deal · mark · calf · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — goods
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — a song
  14. mark — a grade
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a music group
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — the tool

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