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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: staff · stock · cap · track · drill · band · toast · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — a practice
  3. toast — bread
  4. band — a ring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a lid
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — goods
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cap — of ice
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. track — a song
  21. stock — shares
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — a stick

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