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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: rest · trunk · cap · bark · squash · shower · rash · stock

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — shares
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. squash — to crush

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