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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: pound · stock · leaves · shower · fan · rule · march · ball

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — a law
  19. shower — rain
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rule — government
  24. ball — a round shape

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