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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 · rock · fan · can · staff · root · stick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — of a plant
  8. shower — rain
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — music
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — the cause
  18. stock — shares
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rock — a stone
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  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