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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · present · root · lash · can · stock · shower · drill

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — army training
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — a practice
  5. present — a gift
  6. stock — goods
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chest — a box
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. root — of a plant
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — the time now
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a word
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — there
  23. shower — rain
  24. root — the cause

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